Linear Sequels & Spin-Offs To Open-World Games

A lot of series jump into the open-world genre as a way to evolve. The Batman Arkham games, Metal Gear Solid, and Ghost Recon all did it to varying degrees of success. It is a logical leap, since open-world games are generally longer and offer the opportunity for engaging side content.

Related

6 Games That Were Secret Sequels Or Spin-Offs

While most know when a new game or spin-off is coming, there are some that are a bit of a secret that may come as a surprise to fans.

Posts

By  Ericka Blye

What about when the opposite happens? It is rarer, but a few series have gone into a linear structure for a sequel or a notable spin-off. It goes to show that not every game needs to be open-world, and that a linear game can provide a unique thrill that an unfocused structure cannot.

8 Fallout Shelter

A Vault Management Simulator

When Fallout 4 was announced, Bethesda also shadow-dropped Fallout Shelter. This game does away with open-world exploration and replaces dialogue trees with different types of decisions. Players manage a vault, which includes deciding how to develop it and sending people out to scavenge for resources.

This is not the first Fallout spin-off that did away with the open-world concept. Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is a completely linear role-playing game and was also the first time the series came to consoles. However, that game received lackluster reviews and was generally ignored by the fanbase.

7 Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

An Adventure Centered Around Gwent

The Witcher worked its way up to an open-world epic with The Witcher 3. The card game found in the third entry, Gwent, was so popular it spawned a spin-off. A single-player mode of this spin-off came out in 2018. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales still has players moving on a map, but the story moves along in a linear fashion.

Still, the campaign will take close to 30 hours to complete, so nobody should think the game does not offer value in terms of length. It just trades away The Witcher 3's exploration for a more focused experience.

6 An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire

A Dungeon Crawler

The first two Elder Scrolls games feature some of the largest maps ever put in an open-world RPG. A lot of it is procedurally generated and lacks the detail of future entries. A couple of spin-offs then came out early in the series' life. Redguard is a third-person action game where exploration is still a big part of the gameplay.

Related

Every Elder Scrolls Game Ranked By Map Size

The Elder Scrolls series is known for its breathtaking open worlds that players can lose themselves in. Here are all of them, ranked.

Posts

Battlespire, on the other hand,is a lot smaller in scope, and focuses more on plot and combat. Unfortunately, reviews were not kind to it upon release. The focus on dungeon crawling in Battlespire is something Bethesda would lean into more in the future with games like Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.

5 Minecraft Dungeons

It's Like Diablo For Kids

The level of freedom Minecraft gives players sparked a young generation's imagination. Several spin-offs have taken the Minecraft aesthetic and put them into new genres. Minecraft Dungeons, for example, is a dungeon crawler that could best be compared to Diablo or Path of Exile.

The game received fairly good reviews and is a shorter adventure compared to its contemporaries, making it a great introduction to the genre. Being set in the Minecraft universe, it is also great for younger gamers who might not be old enough to dive into Diablo's grimdark world just yet.

4 Final Fantasy 15: Pocket Edition

It's Final Fantasy 15 In The Palm Of One's Hand

A lot of older Final Fantasy fans might yearn for the days of the series' traditional turn-based combat. The truth is, Final Fantasy has never really stagnated in any era, and most people consider their true Final Fantasy the one they grew up with. Besides, spin-offs have helped fill the void.

If Final Fantasy 15's open world and graphical fidelity were a turn-off for any gamer, they can always play Pocket Edition. The game goes through FF15's story, but takes out the open world and instead features more straightforward gameplay and a cutesy, chibi art style. It started life as a mobile game, but eventually made its way to consoles.

3 Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong

A Condensed RPG Focused On Story

• May 19, 2022
• Big Bad Wolf
• PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is a highly influential RPG whose sequel has been through severe development problems. Fortunately, some spin-offs have come out in the meantime to help satiate fans. Bloodhunt is a battle royale, while Swansong is a narrative-focused RPG that follows three distinct characters.

It lacks the free-roaming and exploration that Bloodlines offers, but it more than makes up for it with the narrative choices players are allowed to make during the story. Despite being a more compact adventure, it still features most of the elements players love about Vampire: The Masquerade.

2 Horizon Call Of The Mountain

A VR Spin-Off

PSVR 2 has several exclusives, but it doesn't have the killer app to make the device worth owning. The first iteration had Astrobot: Rescue Mission, and the closest Sony's second VR headset has is Horizon Call of the Mountain, a side story set in the Horizon canon. There is a focus on climbing, which is thrilling in VR.

Related

6 Beginner Tips For Horizon Call of the Mountain

Horizon Call of the Mountain is the latest entry in the Horizon series. Here's what player should know before jumping into the VR world.

Posts

By  Musaab

The game does a great job showing the sense of scale and making players feel like they are genuinely hanging high up in the air. Just don't expect to do it for long, since the campaign is about eight hours.

1 The Legend Of Zelda (Various)

It's Complicated

Some consider the debut Legend of Zelda as an open-world game, and there is a strong argument for it. Players are dropped into the middle of nowhere and encouraged to explore until they unlock all the secrets and beat all of the dungeons. If one believes this, then every other Zelda game that isn't open-world makes it to this list.

Even if one considers Breath of the Wild the first true open-world adventure, that still leaves Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as a spin-off that takes a distinctly non-open-world approach. The Musou game retains the same art and feel as Breath of the Wild, which thankfully saves it from feeling too repetitive or too much like a Dynasty Warriors game, yet its gameplay stands in stark contrast to the typical Zelda design.

More

20 Open-World PlayStation Games To Play If You Like Zelda

Breath of the Wild and the rest of the Zelda titles may be Nintendo exclusives, but there are still plenty of similar open-world games on PlayStation.

Posts